Tampa Bay commuters air discontent over satellite radio merger

The Doc doesn't subscribe to satellite radio but has plenty of friends and correspondents who do. They tell me that the recent merger between Sirius and XM has created quite a bit of hubbub among satellite radio devotees.

Many of the satellite radio blogs out there are rife with lively and colorful discussion about the changes in service after the merger. What really has listeners steamed is the perceived reneging on the part of Mel Karmazin, the head of Sirius XM Radio, who agreed to not raise the monthly subscription rates during the three years after the merger. But rate increases have been announced to begin in March and although the base monthly subscription of $12.95 a month has held, subscribers must pay an additional $2.99 a month to listen to online streaming programs, which was formerly part of the basic subscription. That sounds like a price increase to most folks. And subscribers who yearn for commercial-free music as they commute are crying foul, saying that they are now having to listen to advertising with some shows.

Locally, customers are disgruntled by programming changes that include playlist and on-air talent switches. Readers have called and e-mailed us complaining that some programs are no longer available, and the morning traffic program that covered the greater Tampa Bay area including St. Petersburg and Tampa has dropped St. Petersburg altogether and lumped Tampa traffic coverage in with the Orlando market. Huh?

A spokesperson for Sirius XM told us that the traffic report for St. Petersburg has not gone away; it is included in the content that is listed on the program menu as Orlando traffic information, and the content is better, more comprehensive coverage than what was offered before the merger.

But that kind of makes it difficult for folks to figure out. Who would assume that St. Petersburg traffic information would be broadcast on an Orlando program?

The folks at Sirius XM Radio say that customers in St. Petersburg with XM radios can still see the St. Petersburg/Tampa traffic report option on their radio menus. But users who have Sirius radios have indeed experienced the change. The reason for this apparently is that the displays are limited in the number of characters they can show on the program menus. "Tampa/St. Petersburg/Orlando traffic" is way too many characters. So Orlando it is. Um, okay.

Some pundits are predicting tough times ahead for satellite radio. Sirius XM is facing financial challenges. And disheartened customers are taking to the blogosphere in droves to vent their unhappiness about programming changes, saying that they are being charged for programs that they don't want or listen to. Who wants to pay a monthly fee for something they don't use?

HD radio offers users free options, and tech-savvy folks can access streaming music from the Internet in their cars for free by using pocket PCs, so why not do that?

Please e-mail Dr. Delay at docdelay@yahoo.com to share your traffic concerns, comments and questions. Check out Dr. Delay's Bay News 9 blog at www.baynews9.com/DrDelay.html to read more about commuting issues.